dinner
In Appalachian and Southern speech, "dinner" often means the midday meal, especially on Sundays or in older country use. This contrasts with "supper," which is the evening meal.
Hillbilly Dude Says...
At school, the midday meal was 'lunch.' Everywhere else? 'Dinner.' Some people still call it that, but mostly old timers. Pronunciation
[DIN-er]
Meaning & Usage
- Midday meal (noun, traditional Southern/Appalachian sense)
Mae:
Y’all comin’ over for Sunday dinner?
Y’all comin’ over for Sunday dinner?
Earl:
Wouldn’t miss it - your biscuits are the best.
Wouldn’t miss it - your biscuits are the best.- Evening meal (noun, modern standard sense)
Mae:
We had steak for dinner last night.
We had steak for dinner last night.
Earl:
That’s what city folks call supper.
That’s what city folks call supper.other spellings: midday meal, Sunday meal, noon meal, lunch (modern overlap), ``main meal``, and ``feast``
★ If you hear "dinner" in the hills, listen close - it might mean noon or evening depending on the family. Sunday "dinner" almost always means the big noon meal after church. ★
Origin
From Old French *disner* ("to dine, eat the main meal"). Originally in English it meant the main meal of the day, which used to be midday. In Appalachia and the South, that older sense stuck, even as most of the U.S. shifted "dinner" to the evening.
Notes
Still common in Appalachia and the South to hear "dinner" for midday, especially among older generations. Younger speakers may use "dinner" for evening and "lunch" for noon, but "Sunday dinner" at midday remains a strong tradition.
Say It Like a Southerner
Say it plain: "dinner." Stress on the first syllable.